White
City, Oregon...September 16...Seven time Southern Oregon Speedway
champion Mark Wauge won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. This was
Wauge's first win of the season, and it moved him into second in the
final standings. Wauge was coming off of a $2,500 second place finish
in the R. Charles Snyder Salute two weeks ago. Jesse Bailey used a
third place finish to wrap up his first track championship.

Bailey
won both his six lap heat race and the four lap Trophy Dash. Wauge won
the other heat race. Ray Kniffen Jr. blew a motor in hot laps to end
his night early. Kevin Hewitt set the early pace ahead of Tim Bailey,
and Jantzen Knips spun in Turn 2 for a lap two caution flag. Hewitt
continued to lead T. Bailey and Preston Jones on the restart. A low
move in Turn 4 of the fifth lap gained Jones second as Wauge followed
him past T. Bailey into third. Wauge took second from Jones on lap
seven and began to battle Hewitt for the lead. Hewitt ran smooth on the
bottom groove. Wauge finally made a move to the outside and passed
Hewitt in Turn 4 for the lead on lap 16. Wauge pulled away from there,
and Jones made an inside pass in Turn 4 of the 18th lap to take second
from Hewitt. Wauge won by a comfortable margin ahead of Jones. J.
Bailey made a Turn 3 pass on the final lap to take third from Hewitt.
T. Bailey, Knips and Rick Keggs completed the finishing order.

White
City, Oregon...September 16...Mike Medel won the 20 lap IMCA Sport
Modified Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. This
was Medel's second win of the season, and he used it to wrap up his
second track championship. Medel chased down Matt Sanders and made his
winning pass on lap 17. Willie McFall wrapped up a career best second
place season with a third place finish in the Main Event.

McFall
won the four lap Trophy Dash in a photo finish with Medel. McFall and
David Marble won six lap heat races. Lloyd Speer was a Main Event
scratch. Sanders raced into the early lead ahead of Randy Wright and
Marble. An inside move on the back stretch of the fifth lap gained
Medel third from Marble. Wright spun from second in Turn 2 for a lap
seven caution flag. Sanders continued to lead Medel and Marble on the
restart. Medel began to pressure Sanders for the lead, and Marble
pitted from third on lap 14. Medel made an inside pass in Turn 4 of the
17th lap top take the lead. Medel led the rest of the way to win ahead
of Sanders, McFall, Wright, Tony Bartell, Danny Rule and Marble.

White
City, Oregon...September 16...Rob Gergel closed the 2017 season with
his first 20 lap SODCA Dwarf Car Main Event victory. After winning the B
Dash, Gergel led all the way for the feature victory. Despite falling
out of the race early, Brock Peters successfully defended his 2016
championship ahead of Chad Cardoza.

B. Peters won his
six lap heat race ahead of Cody Peters. Cardoza won the second heat in
front of Fred Hay. Cardoza outran B. Peters to win the A Dash. Gergel
claimed the B Dash victory in front of Kalvin Morton in a preview of the
Main Event. Gergel raced into the early lead ahead of Cardoza and B.
Peters. B. Peters took second from Cardoza on lap two. Josh King drove
off of Turn 3 for a lap two caution flag. Gergel led Cardoza and
Morton on the restart, and B. Peters slowed and pitted. A lap five
caution flag flew for Ryan Smith in Turn 3. Morton took second from
Cardoza on the restart as Gergel continued to set the pace. Gergel,
Morton and Cardoza ran close up front and C. Peters moved up to battle
Randy Slater for fourth. C. Peters took fourth from Slater on lap ten.
Morton kept the pressure on Gergel the rest of the way, but Gergel
drove a flawless race for the victory. Morton settled for second ahead
of Cardoza, C. Peters, Slater, Smith, Hay, Joe Sanders, King and Mark
Nielson.

White
City, Oregon...September 16...David Steele collected another victory in
the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon
Speedway. This was the fifth win of the season for Steele, and it
capped a clean sweep of heat, dash and Main Event. Michael Johnson made
a charge after a lap six pit stop to finish second, but Kristopher Mix
wrapped up his track championship season with a third place finish.

David
Steele made a last lap pass on Mix to win the four lap Trophy Dash.
Steele also beat Mix to win their six lap heat race, and Andrew Hall
held off Dillen Lausen to win the other heat race. Steele and Hall had
front row starting spots for the Main Event, and Steele led the opening
lap ahead of Mix. Hall made a low pass in Turn 4 of the second lap to
take second from Mix. Johnson raced past Mix for third on lap four, but
a brush with the wall left Johnson with a flat tire and drew a lap six
caution flag. Johnson pitted but rejoined the action on the restart.
Steele continued to lead Hall and Mix. Mix made an inside pass in Turn 1
of the eighth lap to grab second. Johnson began his charge to the
front as he ran behind Lausen and Steve Goetz in the battle for fourth.
An inside move on the back stretch of the 12th lap gained Johnson fifth
from Goetz, and a low move in Turn 4 of the 14th lap gained Johnson
fourth from Lausen. Johnson made an outside pass on the back stretch to
take third from Hall on lap 18, and he made a high pass in Turn 2 of
the last lap to take second from Mix. However, Steele led by a
straightaway as he scored the impressive victory. Johnson was a strong
second ahead of Mix, Hall, Lausen, Goetz, Garrett Fredrickson, Hunter
Magnan and Jed Gillman.

White
City, Oregon...September 16...Bob Dees won the 20 lap Late Model Main
Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. The win was the
second of the year for the reigning champion, and it came after he took
the lead from his son, Garrett Dees, who settled for second. Nathan
Augustine pitted late in the race, but he clinched the championship by
just starting the race.

B. Dees won the four lap Trophy
Dash ahead of Augustine. G. Dees won his first six lap Late Model heat
race ahead of Dave Foote. G. Dees had the pole for the Main Event, and
he charged into the lead at the start of the non stop race. Foote was
an early second ahead of B. Dees. B. Dees made a low pass in Turn 4 of
the third lap to grab second from Foote, and Augustine made a similar
move to take over third a lap later. B. Dees and Augustine reeled in
the lead of Garrett Dees by lap ten. B. Dees got a good run on the
inside of G. Dees in Turn 3 to take the lead on lap 13. Augustine was
running a close third, but he pitted on lap 14. G. Dees tried to pass
B. Dees for the lead in Turn 4, but he backed off to avoid a crash. B.
Dees led the rest of the way for the win. G. Dees was a career best
second as he wrapped up a "Rookie Of The Year" winning season. D. Foote
was a solid third ahead of Chris Biggs, Kristy Grout, Don Garrett Jr.
and Augustine.

The Mini Stocks took center stage at Southern Oregon Speedway as the division with the closest point battle on championship Night. Kristopher Mix held a five point lead over Dillen Lausen and an eight point lead over Michael Johnson going into the night. Plus, Mix had a chance to add more points to his lead as he was in the Trophy Dash. He nearly won that race before settling for second behind David Steele. Mix also had a solid second place finish to Steele in his heat race as he carried an eight point lead over Lausen into the Main Event.

Mix enjoyed an early battle with Neon Mafia teammate Andrew Hall, who won his heat race ahead of Lausen. Mix eventually made the pass and was on his way to another season best second place finish. However, Michael Johnson was on his way to the front. Johnson had a brush with the wall give him a flat tire early in the race. This happened to him at the previous race while he was driving to what would have been a point lead maintaining second. He had to pit and ended up sixth that night. The 15 year old phenom made his way past Mix on lap 19 for a second place finish, but Mix cliched the championship with a third place finish. In fact, Mix led the field with six Top 3 finishes. He may have surprised some people this year, but Mix definitely earned this championship.

Johnson would be a worthy recipient of a "Most Improved Driver" award. The second generation racer looked impressive out there and was never afraid to put his car up on the outside groove to make a pass. He also won a Main Event. Perhaps his confidence got the better of him the night he hit the wall and lost second with a flat tire. Had he maintained that position, Michael would be the champion. As it is, he was still a strong second. The #777 car is up for sale, and there are only rumors of where he might go next. One possibility could be Dwarf Cars. Andrew Hall has already said he will be making a move to Dwarf Cars and putting somebody else in the fast #007 Pinto Wagon.

In two years, Lausen has won a 250 Kart championship in Roseburg and Mini Stock "Rookie Of The Year" honors in 2016 and third in Mini Stock points this year. He won his first Trophy Dash this year and finished as high as second in the Main Event. He only lost second to Johnson by two points. The Top 3 drivers can all breathe a sigh of relief that there were no more races left. Despite three straight races with motor problems, one of which caused him to miss the Main Event, David Steele was only four points out of second and 14 out of first. Steele won his fifth Main Event of the season and did it with another clean sweep.

Steve Goetz got the #55 car to the finish line, but his finish was a less than desired sixth in the feature. However, Goetz had some good moments this year, including a Trophy Dash and Main Event win. The 2013 champion is considering being a car owner next year. Hunter Magnan was struggling enough with his car that the team bought the green #8 car from the Fettinger team. The car was driven most recently last season by Cory Stratton. Hunter fell out of the Main Event, but he's optimistic of better results to come next season.

The Late Model championship battle was also close, but second place Dustin Knight conceded the title to incoming point leader Nathan Augustine with his absence. Knight had a previous commitment. Knight had three feature wins and three seconds in his seven starts. Augustine's stats included two seconds, three thirds and four Trophy Dash wins. Nathan started the final Main Event knowing that he had won the championship. He was running a close third when he got a flat tire and headed for the pits.

Taking the spotlight were Bob Dees and his son Garrett Dees. Bob kept Augustine from winning the dash as he won for the second time. Garrett Dees was unable to start the previous Main Event and didn't finish the two before that. He was just trying to grab a checkered flag. In the heat race, Garrett took it up a notch by scoring his first win. That put him on the pole for the Main Event. He led the race for 13 laps before being passed by his father. Garrett held on for a second place finish and wrapped up a "Rookie Of The Year" season on a positive note. B. Dees came within a few points of second in the standings after his second win.

Dave Foote ended his season on a high note as well with a third place feature finish and second in his heat race. He finished fourth in the final standings ahead of Kristy Grout. Grout recently won her first Late Model Trophy Dash at Coos Bay. She admitted that she's still getting used to the new car that she has raced just a few times since her rollover damaged her old chassis. She got a fifth place feature finish behind Chris Biggs. Biggs was making his second start and looked better this time around.

Jesse Bailey is the 2017 IMCA Modified champion. He beat Kevin Hewitt back to the line last week for his fifth Top 3 finish in third. In the last two years, he's had eight Top 3 finishes. His championship was basically won by his performance in the R. Charles Snyder Salute. He made the big Main Event, while Albert Gill did not. All Bailey needed to do was start the season finale to wrap up the championship. Added to his heat race and Trophy Dash wins, it was a good night for Bailey.

With Gill absent to attend a family function, second place was Mark Wauge's for the taking. Wauge was coming off of a strong R. Charles Snyder Salute performance with a $2,500 second place finish, and he wanted to see if he could enter the winner's circle this season. Wauge has already reached the 50 win mark at Southern Oregon Speedway in a career that has seen him win the track championship seven times. Mark ran down Kevin Hewitt for the lead. Hewitt was clinging to the bottom groove. After running for a few laps behind him, Wauge pulled to the outside, grabbed the lead from Hewitt and pulled away for the victory. He moved into second in the final standings.

Fourth place in the standings was still up for grabs between Ray Kniffen Jr. and Preston Jones. Kniffen took a beating at the previous race and was hoping he could have a strong ending and grab the fourth position. Unfortunately, he blew a motor in hot laps and will settle for a career best fifth place ranking. This was a year that also saw him pick up a Trophy Dash win. Jones has looked good this season, and he saved the best for last as he finished second in the finale. This gave Jones fourth in the final standings, and he has now been Top 5 in points in this division along with Late Model Lites and Sprint Cars.

The IMCA Modifieds went the entire season without a repeat winner. In fact, Wauge was the only repeat winner last season. In 2015, there were 11 different winners as only Wauge and Nick Trenchard were repeat winners. With his fifth place feature finish in the finale, Tim Bailey moved into the Top 10 in the standings as did rookie Jantzen Knips. Knips started the season late after buying his car from James Anderson. Bailey took last season off following his third place season a year earlier.

Mike Medel upgraded to a new car this season. The goal wasn't just to defend his IMCA Sport Modified championship. He wanted to get more wins this season. After his fifth place finish in the R. Charles Snyder Salute, Mike knew that he would clinch the track championship as long as he just started the Main Event. However, he was on a mission to end the season with a victory. Once Medel got into second, he stalked leader Matt Sanders for several laps before making his winning pass on lap 17. At times, Mike was tested this season, but he always came through with a good finish when it was needed. With two feature wins and two seconds, he now joins Jorddon Braaten and Dwayne Melvin as two time Sport Modified champions.

Willie McFall enjoyed his best season as he came within a couple of points of the lead going into the R. Charles Snyder Salute. Unfortunately, he missed the Main Event transfer by one position, costing him a shot at the title going into the finale. He rebounded from that disappointment with a third place feature finish in the finale that clinched him second in the standings ahead of two time winner Rich McCoy. McFall also won his second Trophy Dash. He also had one second place finish this season, and it won't be a surprise to see him win one next season.

Matt Sanders settled for a second place finish after leading most of the race in the former Kalvin Morton car. Sanders led Randy Wright for several laps before Wright spun. Wright is currently third in points in Yreka, where he has two season high second place finishes. He came back to finish fourth ahead of Tony Bartell. David Marble had a terrible start to his season that saw his car get destroyed in a crash at Cottage Grove. The debut of his new car saw his night end in a crash in the Crack The Whip Challenge at the Roger Haudenshild Tribute race. David eventually got the car dialed in and had a second and a third. He was working on another third place finish before pitting. Marble ended the season with a respectable fifth place point ranking.

Brock Peters didn't have a very good ending to his season. He ended the season with a heat race win before a DNF in the Main Event. However, he had four wins and two seconds at Southern Oregon Speedway, which helped him win his second straight SODCA Dwarf Car championship. Chad Cardoza collected his third third place finish after winning the A Dash and his heat race. Cardoza also had second place finishes here and in Yreka this year as he secured a second place ranking.

After his third place season last year, Kalvin Morton returned late in the season and was racing hard for his first Medford win. He had a third place finish in Day #2 of the R. Charles Snyder Salute, and he led several laps at Day #1 before his car lost power right in front of Camden Robustelli. In the finale, Kalvin ran a close second for most of the race as Rob Gergel won his first Main Event. Mason Lewman was hoping for two in a row, but his night ended early with a blown motor.

Cody Peters was hoping for a Main Event win to celebrate his birthday at the R. Charles Snyder Salute, but he blew a motor on Day #1. Cody had some brilliant moments this season, including his win in the Dwarf Car Nationals with a last turn pass on Danny Wagner and another win in Yreka. He wrapped up a good season with a fourth place feature finish ahead of Randy Slater. Slater showed much improvement this season and finished third earlier this season for his best effort this year. You could see that Randy was faster this year, and it won't be a surprise to see him win next season.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

White City, Oregon...September 16...Mark Wauge became the ninth different winner when he won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. Kevin Hewitt set the early pace ahead of Wauge. Wauge applied the pressure on Hewitt until making the winning pass on the outside in Turn 4 of the 17th lap. Wauge led the rest of the way with Preston Jones taking second. New champion Jesse Bailey battled Hewitt for a third place finish as Tim Bailey rounded out the Top 5.

Mike Medel wrapped up his second IMCA Sport Modified championship with his second 20 lap Main Event win of the season. Matt Sanders led for 16 laps, and Medel gained second on lap eight as randy Wright spun in Turn 2. Medel closed in on Sanders and made a low pass in Turn 4 of the 17th lap to take the lead. Medel led the rest of the way to win ahead of Sanders, Trophy Dash winner Willie McFall, Wright and Tony Bartell.

Bob Dees won his second 20 lap Late Model Main Event of the season. He also won the four lap Trophy Dash. Heat race winner Garrett Dees led the first 12 laps before his father B. Dees raced into the lead. G. Dees did a good job of holding off new champion Nathan Augustine for second until Augustine pitted late. B. Dees won ahead of G. Dees, Dave Foote, Chris Biggs and Kristy Grout.

Rob Gergel won his first 20 lap SODCA Dwarf Car Main Event of the season. B Dash winner Gergel charged into the early lead, and incoming point leader Brock Peters slowed and pitted on a lap two restart. Kalvin Morton moved into second on lap 6 and spent the rest of the race looking high and low for a way around Gergel. However, Gergel stayed cool under pressure and won ahead of Morton, A Dash winner Chad Cardoza, Cody Peters and Randy Slater.

David Steele capped a clean sweep performance with his fifth 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event victory. Steele had the pole and sprinted out to the lead at the start. The battle was for second, and Michael Johnson's lap seven caution flag pit stop seemed to hurt his chances. However, Johnson made an impressive charge to the front and had third at the white flag. An outside pass in Turn 2 gained Johnson second from Mix, but he was a straightaway behind Steele at that point. Mix wrapped up the track championship with a third place finish as Hall and Dillen Lausen rounded out the Top 5.

Friday, September 15, 2017

White
City, Oregon...It seems like the season has just flown by at Southern
Oregon Speedway. This Saturday will be Championship Night #2. After
crowning the first four champions last week, we still have five other
championships to decide on Saturday night. The Late Models are back
along with the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and
SODCA Dwarf Cars.

The Mini Stock division will bring
the closet battle of the season. The most consistent driver of the
group has been Kristopher Mix. Mix has five Top 3 finishes and has
finished as high as second. 16 year old Dillen Lausen also has a second
place finish this season, while 15 year old Michael Johnson has a win.
Mix leads Lausen by just five points and Johnson by eight. Because of
his recent Top 4 finish, Mix will start the night in the Trophy Dash
while Johnson and Lausen watch from the sidelines. It's an opportunity
for Mix to add points to his lead.

It's also an
opportunity for 2013 champion Steve Goetz to gain some ground. Goetz is
a Main Event winner this season, and he trails Mix by 13 points. It's
anybody's guess who will win this championship. With four time winner
David Steele, two time winner Gary Anderson, Andrew Hall and possibly
2016 champion Bob Burkett in the field, it's going to be a battle to the
checkered flag.

Dustin Knight opted to start at the
back of the pack last week after winning the Late Model heat race.
despite that, he raced into the lead within a few laps and won his third
Main Event. The win didn't come easy with point leader Nathan
Augustine making several attempts to get by before finishing second.
After the win, Knight remarked that he would be missing the season
finale due to another commitment. Because he made a similar comment two
races ago, there are some people wondering if Knight will give up on
his quest for his third championship in a third different division at
the track.

Whether Knight is back or not, Augustine is
committed to winning this championship. The 2016 Coos Bay Speedway
champion holds a nine point advantage over Knight. Nathan also has two
feature wins and four Trophy Dash triumphs. He was going for his fifth
dash win last week when John Dees forced him to settle for second. J.
Dees and his father Bob Dees are two drivers determined to get a feature
win this week. Both have run well this season. Bob is a feature
winner this year and is currently a comfortable third ahead of Dave
Foote and Mike Linder in the standings. Foote finished third last
week. Word is that Rich McCoy will be racing this week in a car that
came from the Rapp Racing shop and Chris Biggs will be making his second
start in the growing division.

Jesse Bailey took a big
step towards the IMCA Modified championship just by making the R.
Charles Snyder Salute two weeks ago. He may just need a Main Event
green flag to clinch that title, but he'll be out to earn his first win
since 2015. Albert Gill will be looking for redemption following a
disappointing night two weeks ago. In fact, the two time champion is
just four points ahead of Mark Wauge in a close battle for second.
Wauge finished a strong second in the R. Charles Snyder Salute, but he
wants to end the season with a win. There are still some positions up
for grabs in the Top 10, and Ray Kniffin Jr., Preston Jones, Shane
Everson, Duane Orsburn, Zach Fettinger and James Welshonse are other
drivers to watch for this week.

Championships seem to
come in twos for the IMCA Sport Modified division. Dwayne Melvin and
Jorddon Braaten have each won back to back titles. After a solid fifth
place finish in the R. Charles Snyder Salute, Mike Medel pretty much
just needs a Main Event start to win his second straight championship.
Medel has been consistent, and that leaves the battle for second between
Willie McFall and hard charging Rich McCoy. With a pair of victories,
McCoy is just a point behind McFall in the standings. There's still the
matter of who will end the season as the final feature winner, and
Jesse Merriman, Melvin, David Marble, Justin McCreadie and Tony Duste
are at the top of the list of contenders for that honor.

Brock
Peters has had an impressive season with four wins and two seconds in
SODCA Dwarf Car competition at Southern Oregon Speedway. His lead over
Chad Cardoza is just 11 points. It might still take a very bad night
for Peters to cost him his second straight championship, but he's not
taking anything for granted. He didn't do all that well in the $1,000
to win features two weeks ago, which were won by two time champion Josh
King and Mason Lewman. Peters knows anything can happen. Ryan Smith
only has a ten point lead over the rapidly improving Randy Slater for
third. Slater is in the midst of his best season ever. Ageless veteran
Fred Hay leads Cody Peters by ten points in the battle for fifth. With
all of these positions up for grabs, it's going to make this an
exciting night of racing.

Saturday night's show should
be a good one from start to finish. It's the final chance to check out a
race before the season ends. Gates open at 5:00 PM with the first race
ay 7:00 PM. General Admission is $12.00, Juniors (6-12), Seniors and
Veterans are $6.00 and Children 5 and under are free. For further
information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

Pit Stops

Southern
Oregon Speedway brought the curtain down on four of this season's
championship races last week, and there's optimism in the air about the
future. The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars and JOAT Labs Hornets ended
the season on a high note. The Late Models are gaining momentum. The
Late Model Lites have maintained what they had last season, and the Pro
Stocks have also maintained a strong presence.

David
Hibbard so believed in the new rules the track used to establish Sprint
Cars that he worked behind the scenes recruiting drivers and sponsoring
this year's effort. Given his experience, you might have thought David
would use this as a vehicle to showcase himself and go for the
championship, but getting a car count was his biggest goal. David
fielded three cars as his father Calvin and son Bailey were part of the
team. He also lent a motor to Jake Wheeler to get him out there.
Despite two bad nights, he came into last week ranked second in points
and stood a good chance of finishing there.

David had
three second place finishes and won the previous race. Meanwhile, his
son Bailey had a blown motor in hot laps in the finale and also at the
Cascade Wingless Sprint race. David decided to turn the wheel of his #3
Sprinter over to his son. He remarked that he's had his glory, and he
wanted his son to have a chance at a win and possibly second in the
final standings. Bailey's confidence level has gone up since his win
last September. Saturday night, Bailey did everything he could do to
stake his claim on third in the standings as he won his third Main Event
of the season.

However, rookie Merissa Henson stood in
his way. Merissa has had a good season and has done well getting her
car to the finish line most of the time with lead lap finishes. She
finished a solid fourth last week to win the second place battle by one
point over B. Hibbard. Henson may have won this battle at the previous
race. New champion Kyler Barraza passed her for his seventh Top 3
finish that night as he clinched the division championship. B. Hibbard
was right behind her, trying to make a similar move However, Merissa
stayed cool under pressure and brought it home in fourth that night as
well. Had she given up that position to B. Hibbard, he would have
finished second in the standings. Second and "Rookie Of The Year"
honors made this a great year for the talented teen racer, and B.
Hibbard can be very proud of his third place season as well.

The
young racers in the Sprint Car division are why the future looks so
bright. Tanner Holmes made just his third start last week and had his
best finish yet. The multi time Outlaw Kart champion won a battle with
Scramble winner Kinzer Cox late in the Main Event for a second place
finish. In 2018, the competition needs to beware of Tanner. He's just
14 years old, and he has some great seasons to come as he gains more
seat time. Enrique Jaime did a good job all season long as he finished
fifth in points. In the season finale, Enrique looked impressive in
winning his heat race. We've seen Dwarf Car star Camden Robustelli
finish second and third this year, and if the team decides to focus more
of their efforts with the Sprint Car next year, he will become an even
bigger threat to win. The bottom line is good things are happening in
the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Car class at Southern Oregon Speedway.

The
JOAT Labs Hornets were almost an after thought two years ago before KJE
Enterprises came in as the new promoter of the speedway. With JOAT
Labs building good cages for new cars, Tim Hedges fielding four cars
every week and several new drivers joining the fun, car count reached
into the double digits on multiple occasions. In fact, almost 20
different cars competed this year. 2000 Thrill Cars champion Jason
Stoutenburgh won the championship after winning four straight Main
Events.

T. Hedges gave it a good run, but the motor in
two of his cars started to go away at the end of the season. He was
basically just going around the track, which was not what he came out
there to do. Prior to the finale, Hedges spent a couple of intense days
preparing yet another car. The Hedges team brings a great deal of
enthusiasm with them to the track. Tim lost second on the final night,
but that trophy will still go to the family as wife Jenna took over
second in the standings. Jenna ended her season strong with a pair of
heat wins and dash wins in the last four weeks.

Young
Ashtin Hedges was the only one on the team to get a Top 5 finish in the
finale as he held off the fast closing Dylan Irving. Ashtin will take
home the fourth place trophy. Another battle was taking place between
14 year old Irving, teammate Brandon Wonsyld and Derrel Nelson Jr.
Dylan is being groomed to eventually take the wheel of his father Ken's
#1 Pro Stock, and he had an amazing preliminary effort with heat race
and Trophy Dash wins, both ahead of Stoutenburgh. Those wins probably
kept the fifth place trophy in his possession. 2016 point runnerup
Derrel Nelson Jr. won his heat race and lost a close battle with Wonsyld
for second in the Main Event. Only six points separated these three in
the end as Irving beat Nelson and Wonsyld.

Going into
the season, 14 year old Gabe Nelson was set to make his debut in the #8g
car. However, Gabe wasn't comfortable with the stick shift, and his
father and brothers took turns driving the car. T. Hedges put Gabe in
his #4t car for the finale. Gabe won a battle between the two other
newcomers, Bree Trichler and Kelli Burton, to take a checkered flag in
ninth. Look for Gabe in next year's rookie battle, and the Nelson
family will probably have at least one more car as well. Burton was
making her second start in the former Christian Listro car as she made
her Hornets debut at Coos Bay. The popular Ashland High School PT
Cruiser was back with Ethan Doty driving it to a seventh place finish.
More cars are in the works, and car count will continue to grow in this
entry level division next season.

The Late Model
division has had a good championship battle between 2016 Coos Bay
Speedway champion Nathan Augustine and past Southern Oregon Speedway Pro
Stock and IMCA Modified champion Dustin Knight. This is a battle that
has kept the crowd on the edge of their seats all year long. After
winning his heat race, Knight elected to start last in the Main Event
and still grabbed the lead in just a few laps. However, Augustine was
quickly up to second and battling fiercely with Knight for the lead.
Knight collected his third win of the season, but Augustine protected a
nine point lead with a second place finish. Knight dropped a bombshell
that he has another racing engagement scheduled for this week and will
miss the finale. If that holds true, Augustine will not be challenged
for the championship. Even if Knight does return, passing Augustine in
points will not be easy. We'll see what happens on race day.

Augustine
has done a great job all season long, and one of the races the two time
feature winner has excelled at is the Trophy Dash. He was in the hunt
for his fifth dash win, but John Dees had other ideas. J. Dees looked
good in the previous Main Event with a fourth place finish, and he led
several laps in a race at Cottage Grove before finishing third. The
Trophy Dash was John's first win in the division. Both he and his
father Bob Dees have looked good this year. Reigning champion B. Dees
is a feature winner this season who had back to back third place
finishes going into last week. Bob was on his way to another third when
he had to pit late in the race. Both Bob and John would have to be
considered threats to win this week. "Rookie Of The Year" hopeful
Garrett Dees would just like to make some laps and get his #66 car to
the finish line. His bad luck got worse last week when mechanical
issues kept him from even starting the Main Event.

Dave
Foote drove a solid race last week and earned his second third place
finish. The past Coos Bay Speedway champion holds fourth place in
points ahead of Mike Linder and would have to be considered a threat to
win this week. Linder had problems early in the race and fell out.
Mike does have a third place finish and a heat race win, and if he has
everything situated with the #22 car, he could be a threat for a win as
well. Word at the end of the night last week was that Rich McCoy would
see some track time helping get a Late Model dialed in for the car's new
owner. We may also see Chris Biggs making his second start.

The
Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites were back to finish the season. After
winning over 20 Mini Stock features in his career and the 2016
championship, Bob Burkett moved up to the new class to challenge
himself. He did well all season with four second place finishes and a
win, which went along with four Trophy Dash triumphs. Burkett used his
fourth runnerup finish and dash win last week to clinch the championship
and "Rookie Of The Year" honors. Charlie Eaton didn't have quite the
night he was hoping for. He led the Trophy Dash for three and a half
laps before being passed by Burkett. He also lost a good battle with
Greg Arnold for third and settled for his first non Top 3 finish of the
season. Still, he had one second and four thirds to wrap up a
respectable second place point season.

2002 Truck
champion Greg Arnold kicked off his night with the heat race win ahead
of Dusty Aos and used that third place feature finish to move up to
third in the final standings. His first start of the year came in the
Dusty Aos #3 car. Dusty blew a motor in the previous race and his
father, Eric Aos, decided to let him drive the #66 car in the finale.
Dusty made his father proud as he held off Burkett for his first career
win. The season ended on a low note for Danny Prewitt as he had more
mechanical issues keep him from running last week. Lee Doty is still
without a car as his rollover back in early August bent the frame of his
#7 car. The 2016 champion decided to regroup and come back stronger
next year.

The Pro Stocks completed their first
Southern Oregon Speedway championship season since 2011 as management
attempted to bring the class back in house with a guaranteed purse. The
car count only popped when the Outlaw Pro Stock Association supported
the show, and even local area racers who could have supported the
regular shows did not. The points were still tight going into the final
race as Dr. Scott Lenz led rookie Dean Hackworth by four points. Lenz
had motor problems in Coos Bay the week before as he was trying for his
second straight win there. Roy Bain offered Scott the wheel of the #19
car, and Lenz responded by winning the Trophy Dash and finishing sixth
in the Main Event. Lenz may not have made it to the show at all, so the
ride in Bain's car won him the championship and kept him firmly in the
Association point lead with one race left to go for them in Yreka.
Hackworth had a respectable showing and held off Jeffrey Hudson for
second in the standings.

The Pro Stock drivers put
their skills on display last week with perhaps the most exciting race of
the night. Scott Flowers got to watch the race, but not because he
wanted to. Flowers was eliminateed on the first lap after a crash with
Johnny Cobb off of Turn 3. The final 19 laps went all green, and James
Flowers led most of the way before Jeffrey Hudson started to make his
move. Hudson and Flowers had a great battle during the final three
laps. Hudson made a last lap pass and drove Scott Bennett's car to the
victory. J. Flowers settled for his second runnerup finish at the track
this season. After motor problems earlier in the evening, Matt Harlow
had a nice recovery with a third place finish ahead of Jeff Haudenshild
and Ken Irving.

The Pro Stock Association continues to
offer a reliable car count every time they are in town, and there were
15 cars on hand last week. Past Yreka IMCA Modified and Worden Pro
Stock champion Jeff Hudson was behind the wheel of the #87 car after
working late in the week to get the car running. However, motor
problems ended his night early. Fourth ranked Southern Oregon point
competitor Josh Kralicek was also done after hot laps. Management has
indicated that the Association will be offered some dates next year, but
we'll have to see how things work out. S. Flowers has his hands full
with Hudson and Cobb right behind him in the battle for second going
into the Yreka September 23rd finale. Lenz appears to be headed for
that championship too.

White City, Oregon...September 9...Bailey Hibbard wrapped up the 2017 Kendall Oil Sprint Car season with his third 25 lap Main Event win Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. Hibbard blew a motor in his normal car, prompting his father David Hibbard to put him in his Hansen & Sons Trucking/Dave's Floor & Vinyl Liquidators #3 car for the night. With three feature wins, Kyler Barraza had already clinched the championship, and D. Hibbard was second in points coming into the night. His decision not to race left the battle between B. Hibbard and rookie Merissa Henson for second. Henson came into the night leading B. Hibbard by just eight points, and she beat him by just one point for the runnerup position.

Rookie Enrique Jaime started his night off with his first career six lap heat race win ahead of B. Hibbard. Kinzer Cox spent the preliminaries being chased by 14 year old phenom Tanner Holmes. Cox beat Holmes to win both their heat race and the four lap Scramble. Cox and Holmes shared the front row of the Main Event, and Cox raced into the lead at the green flag. B. Hibbard charged into second on the opening lap and made an inside pass on the front stretch a lap later to take the lead from Cox. Holmes was running strong in third, while Henson held fourth. The only yellow flag of the race flew on lap 18 for David Johnson in Turn 3. B. Hibbard remained in command on the restart, and Cox was starting to feel pressure from Holmes. An inside pass on the back stretch of the 21st lap gained Holmes second from Cox. B. Hibbard drove a great race and wrapped up his best season yet with the victory. Holmes was a strong second as Cox settled for third. Henson used a lead lap fourth place finish to wrap up an impressive rookie season in second in the final standings. Camden Robustelli, Hedge Carter, Jaime and Johnson completed the finishing order.

White City, Oregon...September 9...Dustin Knight made a charge from the back of the pack to win the 20 lap Late Model Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. After winning the eight lap heat race, Knight elected to start last, but he quickly charged through the pack to lay claim to his third feature win of the season. Incoming point leader Nathan Augustine finished second to maintain a slim nine point lead going into next week's season finale.

Augustine was going for his fifth four lap Trophy Dash win, but John Dees denied him as he scored his first career victory. Knight won the six lap heat race ahead of reigning champion Bob Dees. Garrett Dees' bad luck continued as he scratched before the Main Event. B. Dees raced into the early Main Event lead ahead of Dave Foote as Knight quickly struck to third. A low move in Turn 4 of the second lap gained Knight second from Foote, and Knight charged by on the outside down the front stretch to take the lead from B. Dees on lap four. Augustine was up to third by then and he slipped past B. Dees for second on lap six. Augustine made it a battle for the lead and pulled alongside Knight on the outside on several occasions. However, Knight always moved back ahead on the straightaway. B. Dees pitted from third on lap 17, handing the position to Foote. Trying for the lead again as they exited Turn 2 on lap 19, Augustine got out of shape and fell back a little bit. Knight brought it home to another impressive victory with Augustine holding on for second. Foote enjoyed a season best third ahead of J. Dees, B. Dees, Don Garrett Jr. and Mike Linder.

White City, Oregon...September 9...Jeffrey Hudson won a thrilling 20 lap Pro Stock Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. Hudson made a last lap pass on James Flowers to grab his second victory at the track this season aboard the Scott Bennett owned car. With motor problems sidelining his own car for the night, Dr. Scott Lenz drove the Roy Bain car to a sixth place finish and won the track championship in the process. Lenz continues to lead the Outlaw Pro Stock Association point race, and their battle for second got a little closer going into the Yreka finale after Scott Flowers was eliminated in an opening lap crash. S. Flowers is in a close battle with Hudson and Johnny Cobb in OPSA points with one race left to go for them. The OPSA brought in the sponsorship of First Class Auto Glass to increase the purse for the night.

Lenz started the night off with a four lap Trophy Dash win ahead of Dean Hackworth. The OPSA Trophy Dash was sponsored by Lucas Oil. James Flowers won the first six lap heat race ahead of his father, Scott Flowers. Ken Irving won the second heat ahead of Bryan Hammond, and Jeffrey Hudson won the third heat in front of Johnny Cobb. There were 13 Main Event starters as Josh Kralicek and Jeff Hudson were scratches. James Flowers led the opening lap before a yellow flag flew as Cobb and S. Flowers crashed off of Turn 3. James Flowers led the restart as Jeffrey Hudson took second from Irving. The final 19 laps ran caution free. Jeff Haudenshild moved up to battle Irving for third, grabbing the position on lap six. Cobb brushed the wall and fell back several positions. Matt Harlow took fourth from Irving on lap seven and passed Haudenshild for third on lap eight. James Flowers was in heavy traffic by then, and he lapped sixth place Lenz on lap 13. By lap 17, the battle for the lead intensified. On lap 18 and 19, Hudson made low passes in Turn 3 to take the lead, only to watch James Flowers come back on the high side in Turn 4 to regain the lead. Hudson went high in Turn 2 on the last lap to take the lead and win away from James Flowers. Harlow finished a solid third ahead of Haudenshild and final lead lap finisher Irving. Lenz settled for sixth ahead of Julia Flowers, Hammond, Hackworth and Cobb. The rookie Hackworth will finish second in track points.

White City, Oregon...September 9...Dusty Aos won the 20 lap Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. Dusty took the wheel of his father Eric Aos' car and drove it to his first career victory. Rookie Bob Burkett finished second to wrap up his championship winning season.

Burkett won the four lap Trophy Dash ahead of Charlie Eaton. Greg Arnold won a battle with Aos to win the six lap heat race. Danny Prewitt's bad luck continued as mechanical problems forced him to scratch from the heat and Main Event. Aos had the outside front row for the feature and raced into the lead at the start. Burkett charged past pole sitter Arnold for second and took up pursuit of Aos. Arnold had his hands full with Eaton, who was trying to complete a season of all Top 3 finishes. Aos set a good pace up front and caught a slower car on lap 15. However, Aos made the right move and lapped the car on his way to victory. Burkett settled for second. Arnold outdueled Eaton for third as Casey Osuna rounded out the Top 5.

White City, Oregon...September 9...Jason Stoutenburgh won the 20 lap JOAT Labs Hornets Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. This was the fourth straight win for Stoutenburgh as he won his second championship at the track. Stoutenburgh beat Albert Gill to win the 2000 Thrill Cars championship. Rookie Brandon Wonsyld had his best finish of the season as he battled Derrel Nelson Jr. for a second place finish.

14 year old rookie Dylan Irving began an impressive preliminary effort by holding off Stoutenburgh to win the four lap Trophy Dash. Irving repeated that performance with a six lap heat race win ahead of Stoutenburgh. Nelson won the other heat race ahead of Wonsyld. Nelson raced into the early Main Event lead from the pole. Stoutenburgh took second from Irving on lap two. A high pass in Turn 2 of the seventh lap gained Stoutenburgh the lead from Nelson. Wonsyld took third from Irving on lap eight. Moments later, contact with a slower car sent Irving spinning in Turn 2 for a yellow flag. Stoutenburgh continued to lead Nelson and Wonsyld on the restart. Ashtin Hedges led Jenna Hedges in the battle for fourth, and Irving made an outside pass on the front stretch to take sixth from Ethan Doty on lap 13. Stoutenburgh had a straightaway lead on Nelson by lap 14, and Irving made a low pass in Turn 4 to take fifth from J. Hedges on lap 15. Wonsyld closed in on Nelson and moved by for second on lap 19. However, nobody was stopping Stoutenburgh from scoring his fourth straight win. Wonsyld finished second ahead of Nelson, A. Hedges, Irving, J. Hedges, Doty, Tim Hedges, Gabe Nelson and Bree Trichler.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

White City, Oregon...September 9...Bailey Hibbard jumped into his father David's car after blowing a motor in his car and won the 25 lap Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. This was the third win of the season for B. Hibbard. A lap 18 restart provided an opportunity for four lap Scramble winner Kinzer Cox to attempt a pass on B. Hibbard, but Hibbard stayed smooth and prevailed at the checkered flag. Tanner Holmes made a late pass to take second from Cox as Merissa Henson and Hedge Carter completed the Top 5.

Dustin Knight made the Late Model championship race just a little closer with his third 20 lap Main Event win. Bob Dees led three laps before Knight raced by on the outside as they crossed the start finish line. Point leader Nathan Augustine settled into second on lap six and searched high and low for a way around Knight. Augustine pulled even with Knight on several occasions. However, Knight pulled away on the last lap and won ahead of Augustine, Dave Foote, John Dees and Bob Dees.

Jeffrey Hudson won his second 20 lap Pro Stock Main Event in a thrilling battle with James Flowers. Only a yellow flag on lap one slowed this race, and Flowers charged into the lead on the restart. Hudson settled/ into second and started pressuring Flowers as they worked lapped traffic in the last two laps. Hudson and Flowers hit the line on lap 18 and 19 in a dead heat, but Hudson made a high pass in Turn 2 on the last lap to get the lead and victory. Flowers settled for second ahead of Matt Harlow, Jeff Haudenshild and Ken Irving.

Dusty Aos won his first Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites Main Event. Aos charged into the lead at the start with new track champion Bob Burkett in close pursuit. When Aos lapped a slower car on lap 15, he pulled away just a bit on Burkett and would score his first career victory. Burkett settled for second ahead of Greg Arnold, Charlie Eaton and Casey Osuna.

Jason Stoutenburgh won his fourth straight JOAT Labs Hornets Main Event and clinched the track championship in the process. Derrel Nelson Jr. led the first seven laps of the Main Event with Stoutenburgh running right behind him. Stoutenburgh made an outside pass on Nelson in Turn 2 on lap eight for the lead. Stoutenburgh led the rest of the way, and Brandon Wonsyld passed Nelson for second on lap 17 to finish there. Ashtin Hedges and Trophy Dash winner Dylan Irving completed the Top 5

Friday, September 8, 2017

White
City, Oregon...The season is nearing an end at Southern Oregon
Speedway. On the heels of the big R. Charles Snyder Salute, the track
has two championship nights remaining on the schedule. The first one is
this week. Late Models still have one more race, but Saturday night
will be the season finale for the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Valley
Stor-All Late Model Lites, JOAT Labs Hornets and the Pro Stocks.

The
last time the Late Models competed, Dustin Knight hit the back wall and
was out after the second lap of the Main Event. Knight commented that
his season was over, but a sponsor stepped forward to help him get his
car back together. Knight has won twice and finished second three
times, but he lost the point lead following his crash. Knight has a Pro
Stock and IMCA Modified championship at the speedway, and if he were to
win the Late Model title, he'd be the only driver in track history to
win championships in three different divisions.

Nathan
Augustine won his second Main Event last time out and his fourth Trophy
Dash. That gave him an 11 point lead over Knight. Nathan was the Coos
Bay champion last season, and he has been fast and smooth in his starts
this year. With Late Models on the schedule for the next two weeks, the
championship battle between these two is far from over.

Bob
Dees has a win and two thirds in his last three starts, and that has
given the reigning Late Model champion a 24 point lead over Dave Foote
in the battle for third. Foote only leads Kristy Grout by 5 points and
Mike Linder by 12 in a close battle for fourth. These three drivers are
looking for their first win of the season.

After his
scacry crash in the Wingless Sprint Car race two weeks ago, Kyler
Barraza has decided to end his season and regroup for next year. "I am
extremely thankful and feel very blessed to be able to walk away from a
wreck like that with only a few burns, " said Kyler in a recent press
release. "I plan to take the time to heal and enjoy the little things
in life before I strap back into the hobby that I love so much."

Barraza's
dominant performance in the first eight races, which includes three
wins, two seconds and two thirds, has enabled him to clinch the
championship. The battle is for second. Coming off of his win in the
most recent point race, David Hibbard has a 12 point lead over rookie
Merissa Henson and a 20 point advantage over son Bailey Hibbard. B.
Hibbard has two wins this season, while Henson's season best finish is
third. Enrique Jaime has a solid hold on fifth in points, and after his
second place finish last time, Camden Robustelli will be going for a
win this week.

Bob Burkett is hoping to wrap up his
rookie season in the Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites with a track
championship. Burkett leads Charlie Eaton by ten points. Burkett has a
win and three seconds this season, while Eaton has five Top 3
finishes. Eaton is looking for his first win of the season, and he may
need it to beat Burkett for the championship. The battle for third
finds Bill Spencer leading Eric Aos by nine points and the tied Randy
Hansen and Greg Arnold by 19 points. Hansen has won the last two Main
Events and seems poised for a big move this week. It's been all down
hill since reigning champion Lee Doty won the season opener, but he'll
be out for some redemption this week

When Jason
Stoutenburgh won his third straight JOAT Labs Hornets Main Event last
time out, he built a 24 point lead over Tim Hedges. Stoutenburgh knows
that if he doesn't stumble this week, he will win the championship.
This would be his second championship at the track as he is the 2000
Thrill Car champion. T. Hedges has two wins, but motor problems in his
last two starts has him battling his wife Jenna Hedges to hold on for
second. Jenna won her second Trophy Dash last time and trails Tim by
five points. Their son Ashtin Hedges will clinch fourth by starting
this race, and 14 year old Dylan Irving is in a battle for fifth. He
leads Derrel Nelson Jr. by five points and Brandon Wonsyld by seven.

With
three wins, Dr. Scott Lenz leads rookie Dean Hackworth by four points
in the Pro Stock championship race. Josh Kralicek is 19 points out of
the lead. The Outlaw Pro Stock group will be supporting this race, and
Lenz also leads that point battle as Scott Flowers is headed for his
fourth straight runnerup season. Johnny Cobb and Jeffrey Hudson are
also in the battle for second in the Outlaw Pro Stock group, and a good
turnout is anticipated this week.

This will be the
final opportunity for the Sprint Car, Late Model Lite, Hornet and Pro
Stock drivers to make a move in points. The late Models will bring more
speed to the lineup, and it should be a great show for the fans as the
season nears its conclusion. Gates open at 5:00 PM with the first race
at 7:00 PM. General Admission is $12, Seniors, Juniors (6-12) and
Veterans are $6 and Children 5 and under are free. For further
information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

Pit Stops

The
R. Charles Snyder Salute at Southern Oregon Speedway was the biggest
IMCA Modified event of the year on the west coast so far with a $5,000
first prize being offered to the winner. The money drew Bobby Hogge IV,
who has won the big Labor Day Weekend event five times in the past.
One might have assumed everybody was racing for second, but an all star
lineup of racers came to challenge Hogge this year.

This
included past Nevada Modified and California Late Model champion Robert
Miller, two time reigning Cottage Grove champion Curtis Towns, recent
Roger Haudenshild Tribute and John Arnberg Memorial winner Nick
Trenchard, Susanville and Quincy stars Chris Nieman, Chase Nieman, Jeff
Olschowka, Larry McCracken and Matt Murphy, four time Antioch Speedway
champion Troy Foulger, seven time Southern Oregon Speedway champion Mark
Wauge, 2003 champion Jeremy Richey and this year's top title
contenders, Albert Gill and Jesse Bailey. That was just some of the
talent in the field. Car count went up slightly from last year's Labor
Day weekend event.

The schedule for the weekend called
for qualifying heat races on Saturday. Each driver got two ten lap heat
races that earned them passing and finishing points. The Top 8 drivers
made it into Sunday's Scramble to determine the first four rows of the
big 50 lap Main Event. The Top 16 would qualify for the Main Event.
Everybody else ran a B Main. Saturday ended with an Invitational Main
Event. That race was a money race, but not for points for the weekend
or for the track. The Top 4 finishers in the first set of qualifying
heat races earned the drivers a spot in the Invitational Main.

Sunday's
race was also for IMCA points, which would effect the track
championship battle. Because of the increase in the competition, the
first goal for championship contenders Mark Wauge, Albert Gill and Jesse
Bailey was to make the show. Wauge had a great weekend. He was one of
the Top 8 qualifiers and finished third in the Invitational. An engine
fire in the Scramble might have ended things for Wauge, but he got it
back together for the big show. He finished a strong second to collect
$2,500 and keep the pressure on Bailey and Gill.

Gill's
Saturday was a mixed bag. He made the Invitational and earned a Top 10
finish, but he didn't earn enough points to avoid a B Main on Sunday.
He was unable to get out of that race. Bailey did make the Main Event.
Though his race ended in a disappointing 13th place finish, he earned
enough points to make it very difficult for Gill to beat him in the
season finale. In fact, Gill has his hands full now holding off Wauge
for second in the standings. If Bailey had the same sort of weekend as
Gill, Wauge would have put himself back in the championship hunt.

Meanwhile,
Hogge entered the weekend as the driver to beat. The Hogge team comes
prepared everywhere they go, and when he won both of his heat races, it
looked like business as usual for him. The Invitational Main Event had a
good battle between Foulger and Hogge. Foulger moved the Bowers Racing
Modified into the lead at one point before Hogge got back around.
Though he spun with broken steering to end his race, Foulger served
notice to Hogge that he came to win the big race.

On
Sunday, Hogge won the Scramble to earn the pole for the big show. This
made Hogge 4 for 4. All was going well until contact in Turn 2 sent
Hogge spinning for a restart in the 50 lap race. Hogge had to restart
at the back of the pack, and he wasn't seen in the Top 10 until lap 28.
Foulger had just moved in to the lead at that point. When Wauge moved
into second, he ran with Foulger, but he was unable to make a move.
Hogge made an impressive late charge, but he could only get to third
before the checkered flag fell. Third was probably a bit of a
disappointment for Hogge, but it was still a nice drive from 22nd
starting. Combined with his $1,000 Saturday win, Hogge got $2,500 for
the weekend, while Wauge's second was worth $2,500. Foulger happily
took home the $5,000 prize.

Throughout the first half
of the race, 2003 champion Jeremy Richey led the way. Richey finished
second in Saturday's Invitational, and he was looking like a serious
threat on Sunday. Though he slipped back a couple of spots, he still
finished a respectable $1,000 fourth after Hogge's late pass. Counting
his Invitational Feature earnings and Sunday's lap money, Richey still
pocketed about $1,750 for the weekend. Richey finished ahead of Nick
Trenchard. Trenchard has won some big races this year, including the
Roger Haudenshild Tribute, Yreka's Speedweek and John Arnberg Memorial
races and the Shipwreck Nationals in Elma, Washington.

Robert
Miller has had an impressive career as a Stock Car champion in the
1980's and early 1990's in California, and he's won over 100 IMCA
Modified Main Events and multiple championships in Nevada. He ran a
respectable sixth on Sunday ahead of this year's Speedweek champion,
Jesse Williamson. Just being in the Top 10 in a field like this is
impressive, and two Antioch, California competitors, Chester Kniss and
Anthony Slaney, were the next two finishers. Both won a heat race on
Sunday. Preston Jones had a Top 5 run going intuit he spun. He rounded
out the Top 10 in tenth. He had a respectable showing on Saturday as
well with a heat win and ninth in the Invitational.

Darrell
Hughes II is in the midst of a Top 5 season at Merced Speedway this
year, but he has run strong in his appearances at Southern Oregon
Speedway. He had a decent start to his weekend with a heat win on
Saturday and an eighth in the Invitational, but his Sunday Main Event
ended early. Jeff Olschowka is one of the stars in Quincy and
Susanville, and he won a Saturday heat race before finishing a
respectable fifth in the Invitational. Unfortunately, he didn't make it
out of his Sunday B Main. Cottage Grove championship contender Jake
Mayden was in a B Main, but he won that race. He took great delight in
receiving a B Main winner's trophy, though his Main Event ended in
disappointment. He finished sixth in the Invitational.

Chase
Nieman collected a B Main trophy as well after beating Curtis Towns for
a 15 lap win. Towns hasn't been chasing points this year, but he is
the two time reigning champion at Cottage Grove. In 2015, Towns won
both the Late Model and IMCA Modified championships at Cottage Grove.
He finished 11th on Sunday. Two track regulars managed to make it out
of the B Main. Ray Kniffen Jr. is in a battle to hold on to a career
best Top 5 point effort, and he knew he needed a Main Event start to
keep that going. Rookie Jantzen Knips continues to look good as he also
made it out of a B Main.

The IMCA Sport Modifieds had a
track record 31 cars during the weekend. Two time champion Jorddon
Braaten came into the weekend as one of the drivers to beat. There was
also the red hot Rich McCoy. McCoy was hoping to use the increased car
count to move up on Mike Medel and Willie McFall in the championship
battle. Both Braaten and McCoy won two heat races on Saturday, but
McCoy's Invitational Main Event ended early. Braaten was impressive as
he won ahead of Justin McCreadie and Quincy, California star Craig
Nieman.

Braaten looked like the driver to beat in
Sunday's $1,350 to win race, but McCoy wasn't quite done yet. McCoy
drove the "Lightning McQueen" #95 car to a win in the Scramble and led
the first half of the big 30 lap feature. However, Braaten was hooked
up on the outside groove and would race past McCoy for the victory.
McCoy's race ended a few laps after losing the lead. For Braaten, this
was one of his biggest wins, and he's planning to make a run at the big
win later this year in Las Vegas.

McFall wasn't as
fortunate. Disappointing heat race finishes left McFall in the 20 lap B
Main. While battling for a transfer spot, McFall spun to avoid taking
out another car. Three Yreka competitors made it for Sunday's race and
earned transfer spots. Randy Wright followed his second in Yreka a
night earlier with a second in the B Main, followed by Isaac Sanders and
Cory Biggs. The B Main was won by Keith Brown Jr. All McFall could do
was chase Biggs, and that left him out of the big Main Event.
Unfortunately, his championship hopes took a hit as Mike Medel got a
fifth place feature finish on Sunday. As long as Medel has no major
slip ups in the finale, he will win his second straight championship.

While
Braaten was winning the big Main Event, the battle for second saw
Marysville, California competitor Alan Furuta make a last turn pass on
Oregon State point leader Jayson Nelson to finish a $700 second. Nelson
collected $500 for third. It was a nice comeback for Furuta, who spun
earlier in the race. Biggs, meanwhile, came from last starting to
finish fourth in the feature, making him the "Hard Charger" of the
race. Not bad for only showing up on Sunday. Marysville and Chico
champion Phillip Shelby was hoping to make a similar charge, but
unfortunately he fell out of the B Main early.

2016
"Rookie Of The Year" David Marble had his car at the track with two time
Late Model Lites champion Brian Johnsen behind the wheel. Like
Braaten and McCoy, Johnsen won both of his heat races, and he also
finished fourth in the Invitational Main. Unfortunately, Johnsen's Main
Event ended early. McCreadie ended up sixth in the big show. Furuta
and Jimmy Ford's teammate Mike Merritt finished seventh ahead of Travis
Pruitt, Jesse Merriman and McCoy. Pruitt has been a big supporter of
Steve Kerstulovich's effort to build up the Pacific Sport Mod Series,
which will crown a champion again this year. Merriman emerged from the
weekend with a good hold on fourth in the standings, and McCoy and
McFall will likely be battling for second in the September 16th finale.

The
SODCA Dwarf Cars offered up a $1,000 prize in each of the weekend's
Main Events, but there was little support from Oregon's other two Dwarf
Car groups. Most of the stars of SODCA were on hand, and both races
were entertaining. Kalvin Morton was impressive both nights. Morton
might have won the Saturday race, but his car lost power while leading
late on Saturday, and he and Camden Robustelli tangled coming out of
Turn 2. This opened the door for two time champion Josh King to race
past championship contender Chad Cardoza to win the Saturday feature.
Coming off of his big win at Willamette, Robustelli won his heat race
and the A Dash before settling for third in the Main Event.

Brock
Peters struggled all weekend, but he continues to lead the standings by
11 over Cardoza. Barring a major mistep, Peters seems headed for his
second straight championship. Meanwhile, Randy Slater picked up a
fourth place finish on Sunday, while Ryan Smith was fourth on Saturday.
Smith leads Slater by ten points in the battle for third. Slater got a
good view of the battle in front of him on Sunday. Morton was back and
battling for the win once again. It seems like every time Morton is on
the verge of victory at his home track, something happens to derail his
effort. The Fourth Of July race last year is a prime example of that.
Morton was lapping a slower car exiting the final turn on his way to a
sure victory when he made contact and flipped.

This
time, Morton led several laps, and then C Dash winner Mason Lewman moved
by. Morton stayed with him, and the two made contact in Turn 3 of the
final lap. Lewman recovered first, while King got a run on both of
them. Lewman led King and Morton back to the flag in a close finish.
Visitor Doug McVae earned a respectable fifth place finish on Sunday,
while a fifth place finish ahead of Fred Hay was the best B. Peters
could do for the weekend on Saturday. Son Cody Peters blew a motor on
Saturday, which was not the birthday present he was looking for. C.
Peters is ten points behind Hay in the battle for fourth. It's been an
exciting season for the SODCA Dwarf Car group, and they will close their
season on Championship Night #2 on September 16th.

Kendall Oil Sprint Car Season Finale This Saturday

At Southern Oregon Speedway

White
City, Oregon...The 2017 Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Car season is coming
to a close this Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. It would
have to be considered a successful season in the track's effort to
establish a Sprint Car presence. Kyler Barraza was head and shoulders
above the competition this season. The two time Southern Oregon Sprint
Tour champion won three races this year and had seven Top 3 finishes in
eight starts, clinching himself the championship with one race to go.
As it turns out, that is a good thing. Barraza won't be racing this
week.

On August 26th, the track hosted the big Cascade
Wingless Sprint Car Challenge Race, presented by Herz Precision Parts.
Barraza had a fast car all night, but his fortune changed quickly when
he was involved in a back stretch crash on lap 17. He managed to make
it back for the restart, but a steering component broke on the back
stretch, sending him flipping on the back stretch wall. The car caught
fire. Barraza escaped with a few burns, but he will take some time to
regroup. The Barraza team has offered their motor to 2009 champion
Charlie Thompson for the season finale.

The battle will
be for second between David Hibbard, rookie Merissa Henson and Bailey
Hibbard. The Hibbard family has been instrumental in helping build up
car count this season. David was searching for his first win. He had
three second place finishes, but his win finally came at the most recent
point race. This put him 12 points ahead of Henson, who held off B.
Hibbard for a fourth place finish that night. B. Hibbard is a two time
winner this season, but his luck hasn't been so good in the past few
races. Bailey only trails Henson by eight points and his father by 20
points.

Camden Robustelli may be the driver to watch in
the quest for a new feature winner. Robustelli finished a strong
second last time out and had a third earlier this season. Camden is a
star with the SODCA Dwarf car group and recently won a $1,200 to win
race at Willamette Speedway. He does have two Sprint Car wins at
Cottage Grove, but he would love to get a win at his home track. He's
just one of the rising young stars in the Medford Sprint Car scene.

Two
others to watch for this week are Enrique Jaime and Tanner Holmes.
Jaime is having a solid rookie season in fifth this year. Holmes has
two starts and made his debut with a fifth place finish. Holmes has had
an impressive career in Outlaw Karts, and he's definitely a Sprint Car
star in the making. David Johnson, Calvin Hibbard and 1997 Cottage
Grove champion Hedge Carter are three others anticipated this week.

Saturday
night's Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Car season finale should be a good
show. There have been five different winners in eight races. The
competition is competitive and close. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

White City, Oregon...September 2-3...Troy Foulger scored the victory in the 50 lap R. Charles Snyder Salute IMCA Modified race at Southern Oregon Speedway. Foulger is a four time Antioch Speedway champion and a star on the All Star Series IMCA Modified Tour in California, and the win paid $5,000. The race honored Snyder, who was a long time announcer and local Radio DJ. Seven time track champion Mark Wauge had a special body on his race car with photos of Snyder. Wauge was a $2,500 second, and Bobby Hogge IV made a late charge to score a $1,500 third.

After Saturday's heat races, Bobby Hogge IV emerged with the most points. The Top 16 in heat points qualified for Sunday's big show, and the Top 8 ran an eight lap scramble on Sunday to set the first four rows of the Main Event. Hogge won that race ahead of Jeremy Richey and Chester Kniss. It looked like the night belonged to Hogge. A $1,000 bonus was offered to any of the first six qualifiers if they elected to start last and won. Nobody accepted the challenge.

In the Main Event, Hogge spun in Turn 2 for a restart and had to restart in last. Richey raced into the lead on the opening lap, but Jesse Bailey spun and collected Anthony Slaney. Richey led Mark Wauge and Preston Jones on the restart. Jones and Troy Foulger both passed Wauge for second and third a lap later before a yellow flag waved for Darrell Hughes II on the back stretch and Larry McCracken, James Welshonse and Jantzen Knips in Turn 2. Richey led Jones and Foulger on the restart. Foulger made an outside pass in Turn 2 on lap seven to take second from Jones. Wauge went by Jones in Turn 4 on lap eight to grab third. A lap 14 caution flag flew for Zach Fettinger and Ray Kniffen Jr. in Turn 4. Richey continued to lead Foulger and Wauge on the restart. Foulger was challenging Richey on the inside line and finally made his move for the lead on lap 25. Hogge reappeared in the Top 10 on lap 28, and a lap 35 caution flag flew for debris on the track. Foulger continued to set the pace on the restart as Wauge took second from Richey. The yellow flag waved on lap 43 for Jones in Turn 4. Foulger led Wauge and Richey on the restart, but Fettinger and Welshonse tangled for a caution flag a lap later. Hogge was up to fifth, and he took fourth from Nick Trenchard on the restart. Hogge made a low pass in Turn 4 on lap 49 to take third from Richey. With Wauge following closely in second, Foulger stayed smooth and scored the victory. Hogge was a strong third, followed by Richey, Trenchard, Robert Miller, Jesse Williamson, Slaney, Chester Kniss and Jones.

The drivers ran two ten lap heat races and earned points. The Top 16 drivers qualified for the big show. Hogge was the only driver to win both of his heat races. Foulger won one heat and got a second, while Jones had a win and a third. Matt Duste, Wauge and Bailey earned seconds in both of their heats, making the Top 6 in heat points Hogge, Foulger, Jones, Duste, Wauge and Bailey. Richey and Kniss each won a heat race to make it into Sunday's Scramble as Top 8 point earners. Jeff Olschowka, Darrell Hughes II, Miller and Slaney also won heat races. There were two 15 lap B Mains on Sunday that transferred three into the Main Event. Chase Nieman won the first B Main ahead of Curtis Towns and Ray Kniffen Jr. Jake Mayden won the second B Main ahead of Larry McCracken and Jantzen Knipps.

Saturday's program ended with a special $1,000 to win Invitational Main Event. The Top 4 finishers in each of the first set of heat races earned starting spots. The race was restarted after Hogge slowed in Turn 4. Hogge led the restart, but a Turn 2 crash forced a lap one caution flag. After a lap two caution flag for Jeff Olschowka in Turn 2, Hogge led Foulger and Bailey on the restart. Wauge took third from Bailey on lap five, and an inside pass on the front stretch of the ninth lap gained Foulger the lead from Hogge. A low move in Turn 2 of the tenth lap regained Hogge the lead. Foulger spun into the infield off the front stretch on lap 12 with steering issues as the caution flag flew. Hogge led the restart as Richey took second from Wauge. Hogge led the rest of he way to win ahead of Richey, Wauge, Trenchard, Olschowka, Mayden, Albert Gill, Hughes, Jones and Chase Nieman

White City, Oregon...September 2-3...Jorddon Braaten won the 30 lap R. Charles Snyder Salute IMCA Sport Modified Main Event at Southern Oregon Speedway. The two time track champion earned $1,350 for his win. Braaten chased Rich McCoy for 16 laps before making his move into the lead. Alan Furuta made a last lap pass on Jayson Nelson to finish second. The race honored Snyder, who was a long time announcer and local Radio DJ.

The Top 16 drivers in heat race points earned starting spots in the big race, and the Top 8 earned starting spots for the eight lap Scramble to determine the first four rows. Jorddon Braaten, Brian Johnsen and Rich McCoy won both of their ten lap heat races to take the first three point positions. Jayson Nelson had two seconds to rank fourth ahead of Mike Medel, Justin McCreadie, Anthony Giuliani and Jesse Merriman McCreadie and Dwayne Melvin also won heat races. McCoy won the Scramble ahead of McCreadie, Giuliani and Braaten.

A multi car crash in Turn 4 caused a restart of the Main Event. B Main winner Keith Brown Jr. brought out a yellow flag again. McCoy led McCreadie and Braaten on the restart. A high move in Turn 4 of the second lap gained Braaten second from McCreadie, and a yellow flag flew for Jimmy Ford. McCoy continued to lead Braaten, and McCreadie spun in Turn 4, collecting Giuliani for a lap four caution flag. McCoy continued to lead Braaten on the restart. Craig Nieman settled into third ahead of Medel. Braaten was making a challenge for the lead when Furuta spun in Turn 3 for a lap 14 caution flag. McCoy led Braaten and Nieman on the restart. Braaten was working the high grove and finally made a Turn 4 pass on lap 17 to take the lead from McCoy. Giuliani spun for a lap 21 yellow flag. McCoy's run up front ended when he spun in Turn 2 for a lap 22 caution flag. Braaten led Nieman and Nelson on the restart. Nelson and Nieman made contact on the back stretch as Nelson, Furuta and Medel raced by Nieman for second through fourth. Nieman and Cory Biggs shuffled Medel back to sixth on lap 27. As Braaten built a straightaway advantage on his way to the checkered flag, a low pass in the final turn gained Furuta second from Nelson. Biggs finished fourth. Nieman was disqualified in post race tech, elevating Medel to fifth ahead of McCreadie, Mike Merritt, Travis Pruitt, Merriman and McCoy.

Keith Brown Jr. won the 20 lap B Main ahead of Randy Wright and Isaac Sanders. Willie McFall saw his championship hopes take a big hit when he spun battling Sanders for a transfer spot. McFall came back through the pack, but he finished one position short as Biggs grabbed the fourth and final transfer spot.

The Top 4 finishers from the first round of Saturday heat races earned starting spots in the 25 lap Invitational Main Event that night. That race was restarted when Giuliani and Merriman tangled in Turn 1. Braaten led McCoy at the start. McCreadie settled into third. McCoy slowed and pitted on lap seven as McCreadie and Johnsen were now second and third. Braaten slowed his pace up front as he came up on two cars battling for position, and Merriman spun in Turn 2 for a lap 13 caution flag. Braaten led McCreadie and Nieman on the restart. Braaten set a good pace up front and scored the win ahead of McCreadie, Nieman, Johnsen, Medel, Furuta, Pruitt, Nelson, Giuliani and Daniel Ray.

White City, Oregon...September 2-3...Mason Lewman and Josh King won the 20 lap SODCA Dwarf Car Main Events at the R. Charles Snyder Salute at Southern Oregon Speedway. Lewman won a thrilling three car battle with King and Kalvin Morton on Sunday. A night earlier, King took the lead from Chad Cardoza and won that Main Event. The race honored Snyder, who was a long time announcer and local Radio DJ.

Sunday's format called for three eight lap dashes. Brock Peters won the A Dash, Chad Cardoza won the B Dash and Mason Lewman won the C Dash. Cardzoza set the early Main Event pace ahead of John Chrisman, and a caution flag flew for a tangle between Camden Robustelli and Fred Hay. Cardoza continued to lead on the restart as Morton took second from Chrisman. A low move in Turn 4 of the fifth lap gained Lewman third from Chrisman. Morton made an outside pass on Cardoza down the back stretch to take the lead on lap eight. King was battling Lewman for third when a lap 11 caution flag few for Cody Peters. Morton led Lewman and Cardoza on the restart. Lewman made an inside pass in Turn 4 to take the lead from Morton on lap 13 as King settled into third. The lead three battled fiercely down the stretch. Morton and Lewman made contact in Turn 3 on the final lap. Lewman recovered and led the way out of Turn 4 as King took second from Morton. Lewman scored the thrilling victory ahead of King, Morton, Slater, Doug McVae, Chrisman, Joe Sanders, C. Peters, Jason Fike and Cardoza.

Cardoza, King and Robustelli won eight lap heat races on Saturday. Robustelli won the six lap A Dash, and Anthony Pope won the eight lap B Dash. Morton raced into the early lead in the Main Event. An inside move on the back stretch of the third lap gained Robustelli second from McVae. Morton built a straightaway advantage by lap eight, and Tara Shipman hit the front stretch wall for a red flag on lap 10. Morton continued to lead Robustelli on the restart. Cardoza and Chrisman made contact in their third place battle with Chrisman spinning in Turn 4 without a caution flag. The yellow flag flew on lap 13 for Joe Sanders. Morton led Robustelli and Cardoza on the restart. Working lap 18, Robustelli and Morton got together and spun into the infield off of Turn 2. Cardoza had the lead, but King raced by for the lead on the restart. King led the rest of the way to win ahead of Cardoza, Robustelli, Ryan Smith, B. Peters, Hay, C. Peters, Slater, Steve Walker and Chrisman.